Catch-up TV Guide: from The Hollow Crown to Twenty Twelve

Friday 20 July 2012 19.05 EDT
First published on Friday 20 July 2012 19.05 EDT

TV: The Hollow Crown

Much fawned-over, and deservedly so, this lavish quartet of William Shakespeare adaptations, including Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 with Jeremy Irons, has been an oasis in the desert of summer TV. It all ends tonight with Henry V but those who have missed the series due to more bacchanalian Saturday night pursuits have seven days to devour the lot over on iPlayer.

TV: The Killing

The US remake of the Danish drama finally reveals who offed young Rosie Larsen this week. Those who gave up on the series, exhausted by all that water-treading and delayed gratification, might want to catch up with the show's climactic episodes – available on 4oD – where things improve markedly.

Video: BBC Democracy Live

If, like certain Guide staffers, you watch PMQs with the zeal of a York Hall boxing crowd, or want to check the latest celebs that Keith Vaz has roped into his Commons drugs select committee (Mitch Winehouse, Russell Brand?!), or just don't want to miss a minute of Leveson in case Anything Actually Happens, this under-celebrated corner of the BBC is for you. Carrying live streams from Brussels, Holyrood and wherever else UK law is being shaped, as well as an archive of videos from the Commons, Lords and Leveson, it's Glastonbury for would-be wonks.

TV: It Started With A Tweet

Microblogging has taken off in China in recent years, with the popular Sina Weibo site dwarfing the membership of Twitter, and causing headaches for the country's authorities, as this fascinating BBC World Service documentary – available to listen to on iPlayer – explains.

Podcast: Fatman On Batman

Lord knows there are enough comic-book podcasts in existence, but this one is made listenable by the presence of director Kevin Smith, who tackles the caped crusader with the same wide-eyed enthusiasm that he approaches pretty much everything else. Smith chats with writers, artists and, rather weirdly, Mark Hamill about the cult of the Dark Knight.

TV: Twenty Twelve

Twenty Twelve – the final three episodes of which are on iPlayer – seems to be a strange source of pride for some people, who argue that very few countries would allow their public service broadcasters to paint their officials in such unflattering light on the eve of the Olympics. Sadly, the fun, and the series, ends this week, as the team hand over control to a hopefully more capable bunch.